Up to Three Hours of Training at Real Madrid: Arbeloa Wants His Players to Give Their All

Real Madrid returned to training this week at Valdebebas with a demanding three-hour physical session led by Antonio Pintus, in which hypoxia masks once again took center stage. The coaching staff is looking to raise the squad’s physical level at a crucial moment in the season.

After two days of rest, the Madrid side began a two-week stretch considered “decisive” inside the locker room, with training sessions focused almost exclusively on physical preparation ahead of the upcoming Champions League knockout rounds, which will begin on February 17 against Benfica, while the LaLiga title race with Barcelona continues.

Hypoxia masks take center stage in Pintus’ training plan

Antonio Pintus, who fully resumed control of the team’s physical preparation in mid-January, designed a high-intensity session at the Valdebebas training complex in which tactical work took a back seat. For three hours, the players underwent physical testing using hypoxia masks, a key tool in the Italian fitness coach’s methodology.

These masks, placed over the mouth and nose, regulate oxygen flow and allow staff to measure variables such as heart rate, beats per minute, and physical endurance, simulating high-altitude training without leaving Madrid. The goal is to obtain precise data on each player’s physical condition and increase training intensity during a decisive stretch of the schedule.

Although Pintus has acknowledged in the past that players do not particularly enjoy these tests, the club considers them essential to restoring the physical sharpness of a squad that has dealt with several injuries throughout the season.

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The plan began with this marathon session in Valdebebas and will continue in the coming days ahead of the visit to Valencia at Mestalla, a match Real Madrid will approach with several important absences, including Vinícius Jr. due to suspension and the injured Jude Bellingham and Éder Militão.

Meanwhile, the coaching staff hopes to have Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold fully fit again, which would allow Fede Valverde to return to midfield, his natural position.